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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Good Riddance 2014 - Hello 2015!

It's 2:05 a.m. on December 31, and I'm taking a break from writing a short story to contemplate life and this moment in it. Without the benefit of alcohol. Yes, it's that bad. And it's that good.

Some of you may know that 2014 was a difficult year for me. I don't seem to do even-numbered years well. I'm not entirely sure why that is, but as I look back at my life, that seems to be a pattern. Maybe because I was born in an even-numbered year? So, as you can imagine, I'm really looking forward to 2015 arriving in just under 22 hours.

First up, a quick recap of what went right:
In June, I quit my Evil Day Job after 5.5 years with that company. Trust me when I say it had grown more evil and poisonous every day of that time. I met some really wonderful people who will always be friends and family to me, but the company can, in the immortal words of Ms Kathy Griffin, "Suck it!"

Yashe-bear in July, 2014. Princess pose. Look at her feet. :)

Leaving that company, which I obviously can't name now (lol), allowed me to spend a lot more time at home with my precious girl, Yashe. We'd bonded quickly when my sister brought her home to live with us in 2004. I knew that since we'd moved to Colorado she'd been lonely because I worked a lot and she didn't have any interaction with anyone else. So she needed me home and I needed to be here.

In September, I published Vanished, the first novella in a trilogy. While it hasn't set any sales records, it has been incredibly well-received. I love the story, and it appears those of you who have read it do to. I'm overwhelmingly grateful for that, considering the emotional toll it took on me.

On December 12, I finished the Ugly First Draft of Fire & Rain, the sequel to my first novel, The Way Back. It'll be out January 27, 2015. I'm really excited about it. I hope you'll like it.

What went wrong:
In July, my Dad passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a two-tour Vietnam veteran, so he was exposed to Agent Orange while in-country. That manifested as renal cancer about four years ago. Luckily the VA was brilliant with him. Yes, there were issues and delays and long days of travel, but they did what they were supposed to do. My Mom is a strong woman. She's doing very well. I'm proud of her.

Dad & me at my sister's wedding May 6, 2000.

In August, I finished the Ugly First Draft of Vanished. That would be a good thing, but I wrote it so Dad would have something of mine to read. I failed to complete it on time. That hurts, but at least I knew he liked the concept. I have no one but myself to blame. I dawdled. A lot. No really. A lot. Denial isn't just a river in Egypt, ya know.

Seventy-three days after Dad died, I had to make the decision to let Yashe go. I am not strong. I haven't done well with losing my baby girl. She visits me in my dreams, and that is something, but it's not the same as having her here, whining that she can't find a place to bury her toy, or snuggling up to me just because. I miss her more than I ever thought was possible. I always will. I just have to force myself to put one foot in front of the other.

So, in the grand scheme of things, 2014 was a bust. There weren't a lot of bad things, but they were epically bad, eclipsing the good by a country mile. On the positive side, I have survived to battle another day.

I expect 2015 to be immeasurably better than 2014. I have a lot of stuff coming at you, including that short story I need to get back to. It'll be part of the Out in Colorado group's Pride Anthology and will be available individually in ebook too. It's called The Bridge. Can you imagine what it's about?

Looking ahead to 2015, this is what you can expect from me, barring hell, high water, and all that stuff.

January - Fire & Rain, the sequel to The Way Back, novel.

March - Committed, the 2nd book in the Vanished trilogy, novella.

April - Resurrected, the final book in the Vanished trilogy, novella.

May - The Bridge, part of the OiC Pride anthology, short story.

?

?

? (Yep. Three more projects. Only one is a secret. Can you guess what the other two are?)

2 comments:

Happy New Year to you as well Carter! I look forward to reading Fire & Rain and Can. Not. Wait! for Committed and Resurrected. Seriously.

My condolences for both your dad and Yashe. I lost my baby boy Merlin (cat) about 8 years ago and he still visits my dreams. I am lucky to have gotten 13 1/2 years with him. I hope Yashe continues to visit yours for many years to come.